All websites have a “Net price calculator”.
If they’re good, they’ll give you a pretty good idea of how much you’ll have to pay.
(They’re bad if there are only 3 questions).
If your income is 125K and under, applying to a “Meet 100%need” college is a good idea.
If your child has excellent grades and has taken the SAT/ACT where they scored in the ~top2%, looking for merit gives you a good idea of costs since that scholarship remains the same each year.
Do you qualify for Pell Grants?
Dealing with buying something (college) where I don't know what the actual cost will be year to year
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